Indolence In America?

Indolence is defined as, literally, freedom from pain, according to the Noah Webster dictionary of 1828. It is also defined this way, in the same dictionary, as habitual idleness; indisposition to labor; laziness, etc...

Machiavelli understood that indolence is the greatest enemy of a republic.

In most of the world the state has gradually assumed all the responsibilities of adulthood, such as, health care, child care, care of the elderly-thus, effectively severing it's citizens from humanities created duties.

Now take a look at Europe. Europeans have legislated more free time for its people. They work less hours than Americans, they don't have to pay for their own health care, and they are post Christian so they no longer attend church. They don't get married, they have fewer kids so they don't have to cart them all over to different events. On the surface, they have it pretty good.

Now think on this, "Give people plenty and security and they will fall into spiritual torpor. When life becomes an extended picnic, with nothing of importance to do, ideas of greatness become an irritant. Such is the nature of the European syndrome." (Charles Murray, author of In Our Hands.)

Now ask yourself this, is this what is becoming of America? I can see the writing on the wall, can you?

We have come to the point that we do not like to suffer, we don't like pain. We have to bail everyone out so that we can keep on trucking. We do not want a repeat of the 1930's. We are comfortable, complacent and willing to let the nanny government take care of us. What happened to the hard working man that exploited his talents and became wealthy? What happened to the small farm and the people who worked the soil with blood, sweat and tears, who stood on their principles? What happened to the men that believed in the freedom to own that land and do with it as he pleased as the rightful owner? What happened to the notion of being responsible for oneself?

God didn't destroy Sodom for sodomy. He destroyed it for Pride, fullness of bread and an abundance of idleness. (Ez 16:48,49). When Lot's wife turned back and was turned to stone, it was not because she was gay but because she missed that cushy lifestyle she was leaving behind. She liked being free from pain. The pain of hunger, hard work, sleeping on the cold, hard ground, all things she would, undoubtedly, have to face in their flight. She was indolent.

America is on this speeding train and she needs to wake up before the train reaches full speed and jumping off would hurt much worse.

Is the answer really in the nanny choosing whom shall be fed and healed? I think not. Look at the rest of the world, and be honest with yourself, do they really have it better with nationalized everything? Europe is going broke because of upside down family trees, four grandparents with two children and one grandchild doesn't bring in enough revenue to float their economy. Yet, European government continues to fund their cradle to grave entitlements, all the while, the powers that be don't suffer one bit nor partake in these entitlements. Is this what we want for America? It is happening right under our noses because we are too comfy.

What Is MiG?

Here is something that might add a little clarity to your goals. Around here, our goal is to build the soil from the ground up. It is also a goal to do this with as little input from purchased machinery, seed, and chemicals, (Fertrell is excluded, as they are natural and not chemically based.).

The best place to start, that I have seen, is Management intensive grazing, or MiG.

What is MiG? Connie Krider of Hartville, Missouri describes it like this, "MiG can be described as a means of teaching livestock better eating habits through controlled portioning, while making improvements to the land and forages. For the livestock producer, management intensive means working smarter, not harder."

Well said, don't you think? Something to chew on, eh?

Holiday? What Holiday?

After church, yesterday, we went to the only place in Mountain Home Arkansas that is open on Sunday to get rabbit feed. Our daughter that is in charge of feeding the rabbits has a habit of waiting until the feed is gone, plus a day, to announce that she is out of feed. So, the emergency trek to Orscheln's began.

I thought that I could get a bag of range cubes for the cow, while we were there. After very careful calculations, I decided that I could get by through the day (Sunday) and pick some up at our local feed store as it is much cheaper. I spent long, hard minutes on these calculations. In fact, smoke came out of my ears from the grinding gears in my head. Alas, I was very confident that I had enough.

While at Orscheln's, my wife casually walked over and asked, do you have enough feed for the cow?

Yes, honey, thank you. After toiling for minutes and doing some serious 'cipherin', I will have just enough. Thank you for asking, I responded.

So we left the store. I was supremely confident in my "cipherin'" abilities. And, that evening, in the barn to milk the cow, I found I did have just enough. No problem, I was feeling really good about myself.

After work this afternoon, I drove the few miles to the feed store. I stopped to make the left hand turn into the lot, to wait for some on-coming traffic, and pulled in. I even waved at my brother-in-law who passed by from behind, I was in a good mood.

I made the turn and glanced in the direction of the door to the building. Closed, along with all the shipping bay doors.

Drat! Double DRAT! It's a holiday! AAAUGH! I pulled out and headed home, much more soured than when I arrived.

I arrived at our mailboxes along the county road and pulled to a stop to get the mail.

DRAT! DOUBLE DRAT! It's a Holiday! AAAAUGHH!

When you work in a grocery store, like I do, you lose all concept of holidays as you tend to spend most of them at work. I couldn't seem to get it in my head that there was a holiday today. It is just another day to me. Now I have to try to milk the cow with chicken food.

I wonder how much molasses it will take to get her to eat it?

USDuh Scheduled NAIS Listening Sessions

Here are the dates for the additional NAIS 'listening' sessions. We need to turn out in droves,
folks!

The public meetings will be held in :
Jefferson City, MO (June 9),
Rapid City, SD (June 11),
Albuquerque, NM (June 16),
Riverside, CA (June 18),
Raleigh, NC (June 25)
and Jasper, FL (June 27)

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-12107.pdf

Are You Exciting, or Boring?

I know that you are expecting the article I promised on "How does your garden grow?", but that involves pictures, pictures I don't have because I was too lazy to go take them. So, since I was lazy, you will have to wait, until I get un-lazy. That could happen at any moment, I can feel it. I can feel the laziness oozing out from me as I write this, alas, I have to go to bed.

Until then, you can enjoy and ponder this "life truth", as reported by my favorite pastured poultry producer, Joel Salatin. Mr. Salatin attended a conference, somewhere, where he heard a speaker who is the Creative Manager for Lowe's Company. I will add some of these tidbits here, from time to time, as they really do apply to farming in a very significant way. The bad news is, if you want to read all ten of them, you will have to continue to frequent this humble blog regularly.

So, here is tidbit number one: When you're acceptable to everyone, you're exciting to no one.

Now, your assignment is, how does this apply to grassfarming and producing healthy food for your family and your local community (I'm all about keeping it local)?

I thought about this and came up with some really profound wisdom. Are you ready? Pay attention, this is good. Grass Farmers tend to think outside the box. They tend to go against the grain of all that is thought and practiced in the way of convention farm methods. They are "acceptable to everyone and exciting to no one".

However, those who make themselves students, and by default, stewards of unconventional and sometimes revolutionary methods, are acceptable to few and exciting to many.

The things that I have learned and continue to learn are far from what farmer friends would call sane. But, those who understand the value of a pastured chicken on their table and fresh eggs derived from grass and bugs, get excited when we converse.

What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment, or two, and give me some feed back. I desire to learn from all of you, as well. I look forward to some dialogue on these tid bits, so, thanks for stopping by.

MiG Really Is Intensive Management

I thought I'd share something that I have learned, recently. This may not be new to all of you pro grass farmers, but it is new to me. Although, when I think about it, it really shouldn't be new at all.

Here is what I mean; it is vitally important to divide you pastures into paddocks. I had thought that I could let a couple of bulls out of quarantine and let them have their pasture, full time. I was very mistaken. In a matter of a week, they had eaten it down to almost nothing. Fortunately, there has been plenty of rain, recently, and I feel that it is not too late to get them off and let it grow again. But, I have to do it now. I have a bad feeling that we are moving into a dry period. I pray that I am wrong.

On the other side of things, with the cows, the grass is doing fairly well. I have begun a rotation to "test" how well it recovers. There are some spots that I am skipping due to my lack of comfort in the grass growth.

Some of you may be thinking, "It's the middle of May, and he's still worried about grass?".

You must keep in mind that I am starting with land that had been feral for eons and building the soil, and, therefore, the grass, is going at a slow pace. I don't believe in chemical fertilizers and any fertilization has come from the land and animals themselves. With the exception of kelp meal and a small amount of other natural amendments from Fertrell.

I am pleased with what I have seen in regard to the kelp meal and I see it only getting better. Sometimes things seem like a struggle when you are growing grass. I guess that's why the call it "management intensive".

I will pray that we get an inch of rain per week. Hey, nothing is beyond the power and scope of God.

Thanks for stopping by...

Next post: "How does your garden grow?"

Dumb Chicken?

Consumers Pay Billions For Salt Water in Chickens

Friday, 15 May 2009
The Truthful Labeling Coalition estimates that American consumers annually spend an estimated $2 billion for added salt water in commercial grade chickens, The Wall Street Journal reported. Currently, roughly one-third of fresh chicken sold in the USA is "plumped" with water, salt and sometimes a seaweed extract that helps the meat retain the water. And, the USDA allows such chickens to be marketed as "all natural" or "100% natural." This is hardly the case. Untreated chicken has about 45 to 60 mgs of sodium per four-ounce serving whereas "plumped" chicken has between 200 to 400 mgs of sodium per serving. This is almost as much as a serving of fast food French fries. Chicken companies say their private surveys show that consumers prefer the salty taste of the plumped chicken and said the practice was forced upon them by the large discount chain stores that wanted a uniform weight and price for each chicken. A recent telephone survey of 1000 West Coast consumers found that 63% were unaware of the practice and 82% believe that salt-water injected chicken shouldn’t carry the all-natural label.

You can find more informative articles like this one, written by Alan Nation of the Stockman GrassFarmer, by logging on to his blog.

Co2 Too Much

I don't know about you, but I am totally flabbergasted that the guvmint would ever lie to us for political gain (insert heavy sarcasm, here). Here is a good article to read written by a staff writer over at WorldNet Daily.

This one is about the lies that have been propagated regarding CO2 emissions and the supposed effect it has on our health. The bottom line is that I think the whole "green" movement is nothing short of a cash cow for the elite. Use the link to read the article and you can be the judge.

Raw Aragonite

These are examples of pickles that were fertilized, as normal, with one acception, RAW aragonite. I thought it was impressive. This photo was forwarded to me from another Fertrell dealer. The gentelman in the photo is a customer of his. You can use this link to read more.

Grass Fed Dairy In Conjunction With Grass Fed Beef Is Most Beneficial

Oooooo! Here is a really good article from the Stockman Grassfarmer about the benefits of grass fed dairy products in the fight against cancer. If you are at all concerned about your health, you should read this article. It is very informative. Just use the links embeded in this little blurb and you can read it in full.

Does Kelp Meal Inhibit Plants From Taking In P and K?

To finally answer the question of whether, or not, kelp meal inhibits the intake of phosphorus (p) and potassium (k), I went to the experts at Fertrell for advice. Let me say, that those guys are truly experts and have built their whole careers on fertilizers and soil amendments and animal nutrition.

Basically, there is no evidence that the introduction of kelp meal into your soil will inhibit the uptake of P and K. That being said, the question has arisen in the past and it is acknowledged that even if the kelp does inhibit P and K, it would only be for a very short time. It should also be recognized that the plants, at any given time, may not be putting out demand for the intake of P and K. So, if P and K were temporarily unavailable, it would not hinder the growth of the plant at all.

Generally speaking, kelp helps the intake of important nutrients and their availability simply by its rapid decomposition. The short of it is that this concern should not be an issue.

I hope this helps and please feel free to ask any other questions on the subject of soil and animal health. I will do what I can to help, and I will try to be a bit more timely. Thanks for you r patience.

Second Declaration Of Independance?

Click the link to read this article from Joseph Farrah, founder of World Net Daily. Once you have read it, if you are so inclined, please sign the petition linked at the end of the article. Thank you for your time and effort.

I will leave this up for a week. To see recent posts and articles simply scroll down.

Bully For You

Our Dexter bull enjoying some hay. Look at that curly hair, it is a sign of excellent fertility. We're kind of prod of him.

Come back tomorrow night for the long anticipated article answering the question on kelp meal.

An Answer To An Important Kelp Meal Question Coming Soon!

A while back, I received an important question about kelp meal as a soil conditioner. I just wanted to let that person know that I haven't forgotten and that article is COMING SOON!

So stay tuned, I promise. Thanks for your patience.

Scott

Pastured Poultry, Our Centerpiece

I have observed a thing or two through our journey to the best tastin' chicken in Ozark County, Missouri. One of them is that the chicks seem to do best, growth and health wise, when they hit pasture after two weeks in the brooder. These photos are from the last bunch that actually sat in the brooder closer to three and a half weeks. They are not growing as fast and they don't seem to be as lively as the first group that had made it to pasture in two weeks.

This is the centerpiece to our homestead. You take this....

plus this....

and it equals this. I am still amazed at the effect the birds, in mob density fashion, have on the health of the grass.

I just had to throw these cute little critters in for fun. You can't even see the black ones, but they are there, along with momma.

Joel Salatin Gets National Press!

As you know, the cenerpiece of our small homestead is pastured poultry. Joel Salatin is the man responsible for starting us on that path, as he did for many others. His model is recreated time and again as more people are looking for alternatives to the commodity markets. I have met Mr. Salatin and attended a few lectures he gave and I must admit, he is my hero. So, anytime I see news from Poly Face Farm in Swoope Virginia, I have to read it. Most of the time I share it here. He also writes a semi regular column for the Stockman GrassFarmer. You can visit that publication by using the link found at the right, just keep scrolling until you find "favorite websites".

I was pleased to see Mr. Salatin getting some national press, which, in reality, is national press for "food fit to eat" and alternatives to dangerous, mass produced food. I found this little article, written by Alan Nation, on Mr. Nation's blog. You can visit his blog by, again, clicking the link to the Stockman GrassFarmer.



Salatin Featured On ABC News

Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Joel Salatin and his Virginia-based pastured pig operation were featured on last night’s Nightline news show on ABC television. His operation which features the rotational grazing of pigs in both pasture and forest was offered as a counterpoint to the industrial pork operation in Mexico that was apparently ground zero for the current outbreak of Swine Flu. The show said that industrial scale confinement pork operations were the "perfect petri dish" for the development of new human flu strains. Salatin also produces several hundred head of grassfed beeves a year and thousands of pastured chickens - both broilers and layers.